Dr. Samuel Johnson, the eighteenth century poet,
essayist, and lexicographer, once said of another writer’s efforts, “It is
both original and good. Unfortunately, what is original is not good,
and what is good is not original.”
This criticism
could probably be applied to much of the recorded output today. Some
musicians tend to reverse the past so much that they have trouble with new
ideas and others want to be so original that they think they have to
reinvent the wheel, so to speak, and discard any references to the past.
The musicians
on this recording have paid their dues. They know what has happened
in the past, and are totally familiar with the techniques needed to meet
any musical challenge, but they also have their eyes on the present and
future. There’s great playing on these tracks. You can
definitely hear “influences” but not “idolatry.”
Jerry Bergonzi
has been one of the greatest saxophonists and musicians for many
years. When I first met him, he was still in high school and he was
already a master. And that’s not an exaggeration. Nobody works
harder at his art than Jerry and that’s why he’s always growing.
I’ve heard some of the most highly respected players in the world praise
Jerry’s ability. He has it all.
Jerry has
chosen two players to record with here and they are both personal
favorites of mine also.
Dan Wall and Adam Nussbaum are among the
most sought-after players in New York. These guys have “ears” and
the ability to make everything fit. They get the job done and they
make it sound so easy that I’m sure many listeners don’t realize the
complexity of what they accomplish. And what they do is always in
the best of taste.
About the tunes:
“Our Love Is Here To Stay” features a two-bar
phrase in the bass centering around the tonic, “F.” Jerry tells me
that the intro was Dan’s idea. Jerry reharmonized the rest of the
tune and I loved the F-whole-tone scale at the top of the head. The
F-pedal figure continues for six bars into Jerry’s statement.
Jerry’s solo is masterful, as usual. Adam’s brushwork is replaced by
sticks for the solo. Dan’s solo is a lesson in phrasing and contrast
and Jerry returns for the head. Check out the drum solo over the
original pedal figure. The chord using “D”-pentatonic tones at the
end provides a great finish.
“Optimum
Propensity” is in A-flat and is based on the changes of “Like Someone in
Love” with a little twist at the beginning featuring a IV major seventh
chord. I suspect you’ll hear a lot of musicians playing this
head. It really has a “hook.” It starts off with a “two-feel”
with Adam on brushes and Jerry sporting a dark Rollins-ish hue.
Notice how he uses space to offset his phrases. The cymbal crash and
perfect cutoff at the 17th bar while taking the head out is a great
example of Adam’s attention-to-detail. This guy’s got ears! When
Adam switches to sticks, there is more “across-the-bar” playing by Jerry
mixed with double-time patterns. Notice how Jerry can play a duet
with the different colors on the horn while never sacrificing the unity of
his solo. Adam switches to brushes and Dan plays the bass “in-two” at the
beginning of his excellent solo. When they switch to “four” and sticks he
answers his phrases at varying places in the measures. I was smiling
through this whole track.
“Outhouse” is
a fast burner with some halftime written in. Jerry takes the first
solo with Adam percolating and Dan’s sparse comping. I like Adam’s
backbeats during the organ solo at the halftime selection. Jerry
returns to take the head out with great style.
“Red’s Blues”
is a medium swinger that features a IV major seventh and a modulation to
the key of G-flat. Jerry states the melody which uses displaced
phrasing. Dan takes the first solo which dances over Adam’s accents
and Jerry’s solo tips his hat to Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter and, of
course, Coltrane. Adam has a nice solo featuring some “jazz march”
highlights. Jerry takes the head out and again we have a perfect
ending.
“Before It
Happens” is in “three” and is a tender melody contrasting triadic and
quartal elements. Dan kicks off the soloing and Adam switches from
brushes to sticks. By the time Jerry solos the tune is already
dancing away. Notice how he takes some of the thematic material and
weaves it into his solo. By the way, Jerry told me he wrote this
tune in a restaurant while waiting for his order to come to the table!
“The Ray” is a
fast, horizontal tune with Coltranesque overtones. Jerry gets into
his solo using D-flat mixolydian over a G-flat pedal while Adam creates
and sustains a beautiful dialogue. Notice how Dan’s legato comping
cements it all together. Dan’s solo features single lines mixed with
chords and intervals. Jerry takes the out head with some nice
jamming at the end and they let us down easily at the finish.
“Hank” is a
tribute to Hank Mobley and is a “straight-eighths” tune with an Afro-Cuban
feel under some very complex lines in Jerry's solo. Dan’s solo features
short phrases that are used as motivic devices. Notice how he “colors” the
melody with parallel intervals here and there. Jerry returns for some
beautiful soloing before the conclusion.
“Solar Return”
is fast and starts with eight bars of C-7, another eight of Bmaj7 flat5
and eight bars of G7 flat-9sus 4. Jerry told me he likes the subtle
change between the last two chords. Jerry takes the first solo with
Dan letting the time “breathe” by sparsely comping at first and gradually
increasing while Adam and Jerry smoke. After a pause in the
momentum, Dan takes center stage with some out-of-meter excursions.
Things take off again with Dan’s baselines alternating between broken and
walking styles and Adam has a nice drum solo which contrasts between drum
and cymbal colors. Jerry enters again for the out head and check out
Adam’s punctuations at the end.
“Giant Steps”
is given a novel treatment in that it begins with Dan playing in
“six.” When Jerry enters it switches to “five” but Jerry implies
“six” in his phrasing. Careful listeners will notice a quote of
“Satellite” in the second chorus of his masterful solo. The
“trading” with Adam is a highlight of this track. Jerry told me he
liked going out with the “Giant Steps” cycle instead of the tune at the
end.
Jamey has
already informed me that this trio will be recording again this
fall. I’ll be looking forward to that as I think it’s one of Jerry’s
best units to date. I’ve never heard him with a more fitting
rhythm-selection.
This music is a perfect blend of
the old, the new, and the original - and it’s all good.
Charlie
Banacos - June '97
All tunes by Jerry
Bergonzi except Our Love Is Here To Stay by
George & Ira
Gershwin and Giant Steps by John
Coltrane
